Putin: Construction of the second Nord Stream 2 thread could be completed in two months

Putin, describing the current stage of the work, explained that sections of the gas pipeline from both sides had come closer, and now "weld these pipes from both sides – the one that came from the German coast and the one from Russia – and weld them."

When asked about the start of deliveries, he assured that Gazprom "is ready for them, and everything depends on the German regulator".

At the plenary session of the International Economic Forum in Petersburg, Putin argued that Russian gas supplied through Nord Stream 2 would be more ecological, "cleaner", cheaper and more secure.

He also suggested that transit through Ukraine could be increased. We assume that deliveries to the EU will increase in the next decade, so it is possible to "fill" Ukraine's pipelines also in the future when the current transit contract expires between countries; Russia wants it – he argued.

He argued that normal economic relations should be "established" and that Russia was ready to do so. He stressed that Ukraine currently pays much more for gas than for example Belarus, which brings gas from Russia. He hoped that when making decisions, "healthy reason" would prevail.

The Russian president repeated the assessment made frequently by Moscow's representatives that Nord Stream 2 is a "purely commercial" project. Thesis that it is about bypassing some transit countries "is incompatible with reality" - he assured.

He pointed out that the route from Russia to Germany after the bottom of the Baltic Sea is shorter and cheaper than by European countries. This gas transmission route does not create "political risks" and makes the end user receive cheaper raw material because it does not pay for transit," Putin said.

"We've talked about this a hundred times, and people are getting their heads full of this bad propaganda, that it's about some policy, about missing someone," he said.

Shortly before Putin said that "it was a pleasure to announce that today, 2.5 hours ago, the first strand of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was successfully completed." As he added, work on the second thread is still ongoing. He also informed about the readiness of the gas pipeline to operate in the section to the Slavanskaya press mill. Thus, he added, "Gazprom is ready to fill Nord Stream 2 with gas".

Nord Stream 2 – a two-bit bus leading from Russia to Germany, is to transport 55 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year. The constructions of the Russian-German pipeline are opposed to Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States. Critics Nord Stream 2 repeat, among others, that this project will increase Europe's dependence on Russian gas and expand the Kremlin's influence on European policy.

Source: PAP